What do you think?
Rate this book
Selected Short Stories
From the Modern Library’s new set of beautifully repackaged hardcover classics by William Faulkner—also available are Snopes, As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom!
William Faulkner was a master of the short story. Most of the pieces in this collection are drawn from the greatest period in his writing life, the fifteen or so years beginning in 1929, when he published The Sound and the Fury . They explore many of the themes found in the novels and feature characters of small-town Mississippi life that are uniquely Faulkner’s. In “A Rose for Emily,” the first of his stories to appear in a national magazine, a straightforward, neighborly narrator relates a tale of love, betrayal, and murder. The vicious family of the Snopes trilogy turns up in “Barn Burning,” about a son’s response to the activities of his arsonist father. And Jason and Caddy Compson, two other inhabitants of Faulkner’s mythical Yoknapatawpha County, are witnesses to the terrorizing of a pregnant black laundress in “That Evening Sun.” These and the other stories gathered here attest to the fact that Faulkner is, as Ralph Ellison so aptly noted, “the greatest artist the South has produced.”
Including these
“Barn Burning”
“Two Soldiers”
“A Rose for Emily”
“Dry September”
“That Evening Sun”
“Red Leaves”
“Lo!”
“Turnabout”
“Honor”
“There Was a Queen”
“Mountain Victory”
“Beyond”
“Race at Morning”
William Faulkner was a master of the short story. Most of the pieces in this collection are drawn from the greatest period in his writing life, the fifteen or so years beginning in 1929, when he published The Sound and the Fury . They explore many of the themes found in the novels and feature characters of small-town Mississippi life that are uniquely Faulkner’s. In “A Rose for Emily,” the first of his stories to appear in a national magazine, a straightforward, neighborly narrator relates a tale of love, betrayal, and murder. The vicious family of the Snopes trilogy turns up in “Barn Burning,” about a son’s response to the activities of his arsonist father. And Jason and Caddy Compson, two other inhabitants of Faulkner’s mythical Yoknapatawpha County, are witnesses to the terrorizing of a pregnant black laundress in “That Evening Sun.” These and the other stories gathered here attest to the fact that Faulkner is, as Ralph Ellison so aptly noted, “the greatest artist the South has produced.”
Including these
“Barn Burning”
“Two Soldiers”
“A Rose for Emily”
“Dry September”
“That Evening Sun”
“Red Leaves”
“Lo!”
“Turnabout”
“Honor”
“There Was a Queen”
“Mountain Victory”
“Beyond”
“Race at Morning”
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 1956
552 people are currently reading
1566 people want to read
About the author
William Faulkner
1,349 books10.7k followersWilliam Cuthbert Faulkner was an American writer. He is best known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in for Lafayette County where he spent most of his life. A Nobel laureate, Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers of American literature and often is considered the greatest writer of Southern literature.
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, and raised in Oxford, Mississippi. During World War I, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, but did not serve in combat. Returning to Oxford, he attended the University of Mississippi for three semesters before dropping out. He moved to New Orleans, where he wrote his first novel Soldiers' Pay (1925). He went back to Oxford and wrote Sartoris (1927), his first work set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. In 1929, he published The Sound and the Fury. The following year, he wrote As I Lay Dying. Later that decade, he wrote Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! and The Wild Palms. He also worked as a screenwriter, contributing to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel. The former film, adapted from Ernest Hemingway's novel, is the only film with contributions by two Nobel laureates.
Faulkner's reputation grew following publication of Malcolm Cowley's The Portable Faulkner, and he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his powerful and unique contribution to the modern American novel." He is the only Mississippi-born Nobel laureate. Two of his works, A Fable (1954) and The Reivers (1962), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Faulkner died from a heart attack on July 6, 1962, following a fall from his horse the month before. Ralph Ellison called him "the greatest artist the South has produced".
Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi, and raised in Oxford, Mississippi. During World War I, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force, but did not serve in combat. Returning to Oxford, he attended the University of Mississippi for three semesters before dropping out. He moved to New Orleans, where he wrote his first novel Soldiers' Pay (1925). He went back to Oxford and wrote Sartoris (1927), his first work set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County. In 1929, he published The Sound and the Fury. The following year, he wrote As I Lay Dying. Later that decade, he wrote Light in August, Absalom, Absalom! and The Wild Palms. He also worked as a screenwriter, contributing to Howard Hawks's To Have and Have Not and The Big Sleep, adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel. The former film, adapted from Ernest Hemingway's novel, is the only film with contributions by two Nobel laureates.
Faulkner's reputation grew following publication of Malcolm Cowley's The Portable Faulkner, and he was awarded the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his powerful and unique contribution to the modern American novel." He is the only Mississippi-born Nobel laureate. Two of his works, A Fable (1954) and The Reivers (1962), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Faulkner died from a heart attack on July 6, 1962, following a fall from his horse the month before. Ralph Ellison called him "the greatest artist the South has produced".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
January 13, 2021
During the early 20th Century, William Faulkner wrote some wonderful short stories about the South. A Rose for Emily, a gothic story about a recluse in a changing Southern town, is one of Faulkner's best. Barn Burning shows a boy who has to decide whether to follow his conscience or remain loyal to his family while knowing that his father is an arsonist. Dry September is an especially well-written story about racial prejudice. Be aware that Faulkner does use the language of that era regarding African-Americans, but he is showing the injustice toward them.
Faulkner also writes stories about wars and their aftermath--the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Two Soldiers is narrated by a young boy who wanted to follow his brother into the army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mountain Victory is set just after the Civil War ended.
Faulkner's short stories are a good introduction to this Southern author. Some feature characters that also have roles in his Yoknapatawpha County novels. Most of the stories in this collection were previously published in the Saturday Evening Post, Scribners, or American Mercury so this is a high quality collection.
Faulkner also writes stories about wars and their aftermath--the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II. Two Soldiers is narrated by a young boy who wanted to follow his brother into the army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mountain Victory is set just after the Civil War ended.
Faulkner's short stories are a good introduction to this Southern author. Some feature characters that also have roles in his Yoknapatawpha County novels. Most of the stories in this collection were previously published in the Saturday Evening Post, Scribners, or American Mercury so this is a high quality collection.
Read
February 22, 2021Í þessari bók er orðið „popcorn” þýtt sem „hrökkgrjón” og það er gott.
November 26, 2014
I was very disappointed with this collection of short stories. I have not read any of Faulkner's novels and thought this might be a great way to sample the works of a literary legend.
Well, if this is representative of his novel length works than I'm just as happy to go to my grave a Faulkner virgin.
I am surprised this collection averaged over four stars. Then I went back and read some of the reviews. Many people who wrote reviews seemed to have decided they liked the book before they read it and even those who didn't seem to like the book still often gave three stars, maybe because who in their "write" literary mind would not love Faulkner, "write"? And then there were those who hadn't even finished the book...hmmm, wonder why? I almost gave up on this one about ten times myself.
In many cases Faulkner's style made it difficult to follow the story. I happened to be reading this simultaneously with a complete works of Hemingway's short stories and this is not an issue of not liking short stories. Half the time, I was only vaguely aware of who was talking or what they were talking about. I often finished the story feeling cheated or spent a lot of energy going back and trying to piece it all together. Many stories had no underlying message, or if there was a deeper message, it was buried so deep and camouflaged so well, I completely missed it. Instead it seemed as if his goal was to leave the reader with a disturbing or thought provoking image, which can be effective.
Was his writing descriptive? Yes. Does his writing capture the character and essence of the old South? Probably. Were many of his characters interesting? Sure. Were the stories well written? Depends on how you define a well-written story. I don't mind working through a read but I appreciate when the writer orients me to his world, even if just a little. I never really felt as though I was in the story, but instead on the outside looking in, desperately wanting to get in, yet unable.
There were a couple of stories that I enjoyed, but did not love. In fact, there is not one story that I absolutely loved. Interestingly, I tend to rate books higher than the average because I love to read and I love stories, all kinds of stories. I like all different styles of writing and enjoy reading across genres. This book, however, I did not love or even like.
A few reviewers did mention that while they generally love Faulkner, this was not a great collection, so perhaps I need to give him another shot. If you are like me and wanting to explore some of the literary greats, don't waste your time here, at least not at first.
However, if you are a diehard Faulkner fan, go for it. I'm sure you will love it even if, like some readers, you don't quite get it. It may be that it takes time to get comfortable with Faulkner's style of writing in order to digest it easily and thoroughly. Obviously, I'm not there yet.
Well, if this is representative of his novel length works than I'm just as happy to go to my grave a Faulkner virgin.
I am surprised this collection averaged over four stars. Then I went back and read some of the reviews. Many people who wrote reviews seemed to have decided they liked the book before they read it and even those who didn't seem to like the book still often gave three stars, maybe because who in their "write" literary mind would not love Faulkner, "write"? And then there were those who hadn't even finished the book...hmmm, wonder why? I almost gave up on this one about ten times myself.
In many cases Faulkner's style made it difficult to follow the story. I happened to be reading this simultaneously with a complete works of Hemingway's short stories and this is not an issue of not liking short stories. Half the time, I was only vaguely aware of who was talking or what they were talking about. I often finished the story feeling cheated or spent a lot of energy going back and trying to piece it all together. Many stories had no underlying message, or if there was a deeper message, it was buried so deep and camouflaged so well, I completely missed it. Instead it seemed as if his goal was to leave the reader with a disturbing or thought provoking image, which can be effective.
Was his writing descriptive? Yes. Does his writing capture the character and essence of the old South? Probably. Were many of his characters interesting? Sure. Were the stories well written? Depends on how you define a well-written story. I don't mind working through a read but I appreciate when the writer orients me to his world, even if just a little. I never really felt as though I was in the story, but instead on the outside looking in, desperately wanting to get in, yet unable.
There were a couple of stories that I enjoyed, but did not love. In fact, there is not one story that I absolutely loved. Interestingly, I tend to rate books higher than the average because I love to read and I love stories, all kinds of stories. I like all different styles of writing and enjoy reading across genres. This book, however, I did not love or even like.
A few reviewers did mention that while they generally love Faulkner, this was not a great collection, so perhaps I need to give him another shot. If you are like me and wanting to explore some of the literary greats, don't waste your time here, at least not at first.
However, if you are a diehard Faulkner fan, go for it. I'm sure you will love it even if, like some readers, you don't quite get it. It may be that it takes time to get comfortable with Faulkner's style of writing in order to digest it easily and thoroughly. Obviously, I'm not there yet.
February 10, 2009
Everything by Faulkner in his prime is amazing, but "That Evening Sun" (sometimes titled, "That Evening Sun, Gone Down") is one of my favorites. It's shot through with visceral imagery that comes from some place other than the conscious mind and works on the reader's mind in the same way. It's also one of the best evocations of a child's consciousness that I've ever read -- meaning, it's not just sentimentally innocent, but disorienting, unnerving and rich in ways that are almost surreal. With that said, it's still an adult's story, filled with violence, lust and loss. I can't recommend it enough.
August 23, 2018
A great introduction to Faulkner’s genius. He deserves his reputation. It is sad that recognition came to him so late after working so long on many books, poems and screenplays. One has to admire his persistence, but then perhaps writing for its own sake must have been all that mattered, or nearly all. Faulkner’s short stories are powerful, raising the senses. Original in style and prose. Wonderfully descriptive of varied people, situations and places. He puts us in the mind of a boy effortlessly in two stories and gives us the unmistakable flavor of southern culture in times gone by. Like Joyce’s Dubliners, I’ll be reading these short stories again. They are instructive.
dnf
November 1, 2024DNF. I wasn't really getting anything out of the stories.
August 14, 2022
Some of these stories are among William Faulkner's very best. "A Rose for Emily," about a desiccated old maid and her haughty rejection of her town, "Dry September" about how a false accusation of rape led to the lynching of a black man, "Mountain Victory," about a half-Choctaw Confederate returning after the war and confronting Unionist mountaineers in Tennessee, and "That Evening Sun," about children playing with their older, black servant at night when she is fearful of a returning, vengeful husband, are all among Faulkner's best. They are thoughtful, mysterious, beautiful, and otherworldly, all the things one expects. from Faulkner.
Some of these stories feature classic characters, like "A Barn Burning" with the devilish Snopes family, or "That Evening Sun," about the Compsons, of the Sound and Fury, or the Sartoris family in "There Was a Queen." Others, however, feature almost impossible imaginings, like the antebellum US President confronting marauding Indian tribes in Washington in "Lo!" or the mythical Indian planation chieftains ruling out of a grounded steamship of "Red Leaves." These are tougher to swallow and seem less moored in reality. Despite his Gothic tendencies, Faulkner remains at his best when he stays close to the Earth and his kenning.
This book will give the reader a full overview of Faulkner's talents, both the good and the less good. But it is hard to finish the book and not agree that Faulkner was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
Some of these stories feature classic characters, like "A Barn Burning" with the devilish Snopes family, or "That Evening Sun," about the Compsons, of the Sound and Fury, or the Sartoris family in "There Was a Queen." Others, however, feature almost impossible imaginings, like the antebellum US President confronting marauding Indian tribes in Washington in "Lo!" or the mythical Indian planation chieftains ruling out of a grounded steamship of "Red Leaves." These are tougher to swallow and seem less moored in reality. Despite his Gothic tendencies, Faulkner remains at his best when he stays close to the Earth and his kenning.
This book will give the reader a full overview of Faulkner's talents, both the good and the less good. But it is hard to finish the book and not agree that Faulkner was one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.
July 31, 2017
Good if seemingly random selection of Faulkner short stories. If you like Faulkner, you'll appreciate them. If not, things like unreliable narrators, shifts in perspective and just Faulkner's general "hey reader, you're smart, figure this story out from what I'm giving you" attitude will probably put you off.
There's the obligatory Sartoris story (has anyone put all these together in chronological order somewhere? Could that even be done?) The Sartoris family story is so insanely complex I can't imagine even Faulkner could keep it all straight--so many details spread over several generations of one very convoluted family.
There's also a good World War I story, with some great dialogue and action, told in the "you figure out what's going on" Faulkner style, as well.
All of the stories are ultimately interesting, and don't rely on the cheesy "twist" at the end that so many short story writers rely on to keep you turning pages (Hey there, Ambrose Bierce!). A solid collection, but personally, I'd rather read several related stories in one book, as was the case with the excellent collection The Unvanquished.
And if you are new to Faulkner, keep in mind these were written in the early 20th Century and are set in and around the American Civil War and its aftermath, in the deep south, so the racial language reflects terminology in use in that place at the time. If it's shocking, that's because Faulkner did not want to whitewash the era's reprehensible racial attitudes.
There's the obligatory Sartoris story (has anyone put all these together in chronological order somewhere? Could that even be done?) The Sartoris family story is so insanely complex I can't imagine even Faulkner could keep it all straight--so many details spread over several generations of one very convoluted family.
There's also a good World War I story, with some great dialogue and action, told in the "you figure out what's going on" Faulkner style, as well.
All of the stories are ultimately interesting, and don't rely on the cheesy "twist" at the end that so many short story writers rely on to keep you turning pages (Hey there, Ambrose Bierce!). A solid collection, but personally, I'd rather read several related stories in one book, as was the case with the excellent collection The Unvanquished.
And if you are new to Faulkner, keep in mind these were written in the early 20th Century and are set in and around the American Civil War and its aftermath, in the deep south, so the racial language reflects terminology in use in that place at the time. If it's shocking, that's because Faulkner did not want to whitewash the era's reprehensible racial attitudes.
November 30, 2019
This is front-loaded with the best stories, with the harshest and most radical (“Barn Burning”) followed by the sweetest and most conventional (“Two Soldiers”). These two and the other three of the first five (“A Rose for Emily,” “Dry September,” and “That Evening Sun”) are my favorites. Of the rest, they cover (in no real order) what Faulkner does, good and bad. I like the adventure, the people at cross-purposes, the pungent descriptions—especially in “Turnabout,” “Mountain Victory” and “Race at Morning.” I do not like the way he has characters speak their consciousness in convoluted ways. Or the occasional cutesy/corny streak. Or how he thinks Native Americans are obsessed about clothes/shoes. Or whatever that is. Least favorites: “Honour,” which reads like a parody of Hemingway or Chandler, and “Beyond,” which seems like a treatment for a Frank Capra film.
October 14, 2019
A life cannot be complete without Faulkner--
Since reading "A Rose for Emily" as a boy, I have been hooked on Faulkner. I kept a worn out copy on hand to show to my teachers who accused me of using run-on sentences (some of his sentences took an entire page.) He is a true master and when I feel homesick, after being too long in some foreign country, I read a Faulkner story and remember the South where I grew up.
"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." --W. Faulkner
"Faulkner is the greatest artist the South has produced."
--Ralph Ellison
Since reading "A Rose for Emily" as a boy, I have been hooked on Faulkner. I kept a worn out copy on hand to show to my teachers who accused me of using run-on sentences (some of his sentences took an entire page.) He is a true master and when I feel homesick, after being too long in some foreign country, I read a Faulkner story and remember the South where I grew up.
"The past is not dead. In fact, it's not even past." --W. Faulkner
"Faulkner is the greatest artist the South has produced."
--Ralph Ellison
September 21, 2018
I like his stories about death the best.
July 16, 2025
The forward says that Faulkner "educated himself by reading promiscuously" and honestly same.
I bought this collection at the Faulkner House on my New Orleans trip. While I'm glad I did, and I'm happy to have sampled Faulkner's writing, I don't feel the need to read much more (unless one of his novels is creepy and gothic like A Rose for Emily).
What works about his style REALLY works for me - the sense of dread (when he chooses to write about it), the closeclose perspective, and the intricate dynamics that are only shown partially, yet paint a deep picture. However, he often chooses to write about characters and situations that I have no interest in.
I like challenging myself, and I like reading things outside of my comfort zone. This is definitely both. With a few exceptions, though, I won't be revisiting this collection.
Barn Burning - 3 stars
I had a hard time following the conversation at the start (who stole who's pig and who's barn was burned) which meant the rest of the story lacked context. I guess I need to dust off my reading comprehension skills.
Two Soldiers - 3.5 stars
Now I'm tracking! I loved how narrow the focus was - limited by the specific character's point of view.
A Rose for Emily - 4 stars
I remember reading this for the first time! It SHOOK my Christian high school co-op. It's so unsettling - very gothic horror. Kinda love it.
Dry September - 3.5 stars
Also very unsettling. It's To Kill a Mockingbird in short story form.
That Evening Sun - 3.5 stars
Maybe I just need a blanket "unsettling" label for these stories. I really liked the contrast between the whiny, spoiled kids and the adult drama going on around them.
Red Leaves - 1 star
This did nothing for me. I'm glad I read a short summary partway through so I could see what it was going for, but it wasn’t my fave.
Lo! - 1.5 stars
At least I could tell what was happening. But I'm probably missing out on any themes deeper or more conclusive than "race relations". Having the President be the main character was a weird choice - I couldn’t take it seriously.
Turnabout - 3.5 stars
This was a slow burn - but worth it at the end! I was pretty bored the first half, but the way the ending made it all click together, highlighting the childishness of the young soldiers against the danger they have to endure, made this a masterfully crafted story. It took a while to get there, though.
Honor - 3.5 stars
Oo this was good - talking around but not talking about the problem. The scene on the airplane was intense.
There Was a Queen - 3.5 stars
Wow, this feels very timely. Again, a bit of a slow start, but the letters leaking feels very similar to the concept of private pictures/videos leaking.
Mountain Victory - 2.5 stars
This one I know I would have liked better if I read it in a class. I struggled to follow it, and while individual moments struck me (like the Confederate soldier cutting out the lining of his nice cloak for his slave to wrap his feet), I definitely missed the overall themes (wikipedia helped in the end).
Beyond - 2.5 stars
Classic ghost story. I've read more interesting versions of this before, I'm sure.
Race at Morning - 2.5 stars
Like the last story, I'm sure I've read more interesting versions of this. It wasn’t bad, and if I cared, I'd probably get more out of it if I thought it over more. The imagery is spectacular, and interesting choices are made by the characters. However, in the end, I don't care enough about the characters or theme to spend the necessary time to get the most out of it.
I bought this collection at the Faulkner House on my New Orleans trip. While I'm glad I did, and I'm happy to have sampled Faulkner's writing, I don't feel the need to read much more (unless one of his novels is creepy and gothic like A Rose for Emily).
What works about his style REALLY works for me - the sense of dread (when he chooses to write about it), the closeclose perspective, and the intricate dynamics that are only shown partially, yet paint a deep picture. However, he often chooses to write about characters and situations that I have no interest in.
I like challenging myself, and I like reading things outside of my comfort zone. This is definitely both. With a few exceptions, though, I won't be revisiting this collection.
Barn Burning - 3 stars
I had a hard time following the conversation at the start (who stole who's pig and who's barn was burned) which meant the rest of the story lacked context. I guess I need to dust off my reading comprehension skills.
Two Soldiers - 3.5 stars
Now I'm tracking! I loved how narrow the focus was - limited by the specific character's point of view.
A Rose for Emily - 4 stars
I remember reading this for the first time! It SHOOK my Christian high school co-op. It's so unsettling - very gothic horror. Kinda love it.
Dry September - 3.5 stars
Also very unsettling. It's To Kill a Mockingbird in short story form.
That Evening Sun - 3.5 stars
Maybe I just need a blanket "unsettling" label for these stories. I really liked the contrast between the whiny, spoiled kids and the adult drama going on around them.
Red Leaves - 1 star
This did nothing for me. I'm glad I read a short summary partway through so I could see what it was going for, but it wasn’t my fave.
Lo! - 1.5 stars
At least I could tell what was happening. But I'm probably missing out on any themes deeper or more conclusive than "race relations". Having the President be the main character was a weird choice - I couldn’t take it seriously.
Turnabout - 3.5 stars
This was a slow burn - but worth it at the end! I was pretty bored the first half, but the way the ending made it all click together, highlighting the childishness of the young soldiers against the danger they have to endure, made this a masterfully crafted story. It took a while to get there, though.
Honor - 3.5 stars
Oo this was good - talking around but not talking about the problem. The scene on the airplane was intense.
There Was a Queen - 3.5 stars
Wow, this feels very timely. Again, a bit of a slow start, but the letters leaking feels very similar to the concept of private pictures/videos leaking.
Mountain Victory - 2.5 stars
This one I know I would have liked better if I read it in a class. I struggled to follow it, and while individual moments struck me (like the Confederate soldier cutting out the lining of his nice cloak for his slave to wrap his feet), I definitely missed the overall themes (wikipedia helped in the end).
Beyond - 2.5 stars
Classic ghost story. I've read more interesting versions of this before, I'm sure.
Race at Morning - 2.5 stars
Like the last story, I'm sure I've read more interesting versions of this. It wasn’t bad, and if I cared, I'd probably get more out of it if I thought it over more. The imagery is spectacular, and interesting choices are made by the characters. However, in the end, I don't care enough about the characters or theme to spend the necessary time to get the most out of it.
November 10, 2022
După opinia lui Malcolm Cowley, cunoscut critic american şi unul dintre cei mai autorizaţi cercetători ai operei scriitorului, William Faulkner „nu este esenţialmente un romancier… O parte a romanelor sale îmbină două sau mai multe teme care au prea puţină legătură între ele… iar
celelalte tind să se dividă într-o serie de episoade care seamănă cu nişte mărgele dintr-un şirag… Faulkner, continuă criticul, este neîntrecut şi în cea mai mare măsură el însuşi, fie în povestirile mai lungi… fie în saga ţinutului Yoknapatawpha în întregul ei.”
Deşi părerile lui Cowley mi se par a fi mult prea categorice ele atrag totuşi atenţia asupra unui aspect caracteristic al operei faulkneriene – frecvenţa şi excelenţa povestirii care s-ar situa între nuvelă şi roman, atât ca dimensiuni cât şi ca viziune. Faulkner a scris şi a publicat nuvele şi povestiri atât la începutul carierei sale literare cât şi în perioada apariţiei marilor sale romane. Mai mult chiar, o seamă de lucrări intitulate romane, cum ar fi The Unvanquished (Neînfrântul), Go Down, Moses (Coboară, Moise), sau The Wild Palms (Palmierii sălbatici), sunt în fapt
suite de povestiri mai ample sau mai scurte, relaţionate sau nu între ele. Şi totuşi a susţine că Faulkner nu este esenţialmente un romancier mi se pare a considera în mod unilateral relaţiile nu întotdeauna vizibile, e drept, dintre povestire şi roman în cadrul operei scriitorului.
celelalte tind să se dividă într-o serie de episoade care seamănă cu nişte mărgele dintr-un şirag… Faulkner, continuă criticul, este neîntrecut şi în cea mai mare măsură el însuşi, fie în povestirile mai lungi… fie în saga ţinutului Yoknapatawpha în întregul ei.”
Deşi părerile lui Cowley mi se par a fi mult prea categorice ele atrag totuşi atenţia asupra unui aspect caracteristic al operei faulkneriene – frecvenţa şi excelenţa povestirii care s-ar situa între nuvelă şi roman, atât ca dimensiuni cât şi ca viziune. Faulkner a scris şi a publicat nuvele şi povestiri atât la începutul carierei sale literare cât şi în perioada apariţiei marilor sale romane. Mai mult chiar, o seamă de lucrări intitulate romane, cum ar fi The Unvanquished (Neînfrântul), Go Down, Moses (Coboară, Moise), sau The Wild Palms (Palmierii sălbatici), sunt în fapt
suite de povestiri mai ample sau mai scurte, relaţionate sau nu între ele. Şi totuşi a susţine că Faulkner nu este esenţialmente un romancier mi se pare a considera în mod unilateral relaţiile nu întotdeauna vizibile, e drept, dintre povestire şi roman în cadrul operei scriitorului.
September 17, 2020
Finished reading Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner this evening, a book I started last fall—I’ve been reading one or two between other books since then. I was determined to mark it as read this year! As with any compilation of short stories, I liked some better than others. Two I had read years ago in school, “Barn Burning” and one of my favorite short stories, “A Rose for Emily,” which I still like. One of the best in this collection is “Turnabout,” set during WWI. There were a couple funny scenes in that one. I also liked “Beyond” and “Race at Morning” — the latter of which has a hilarious scene involving a grapevine that had me laughing out loud.
July 14, 2018
Reading, parsing, and internalizing many of these complex stories involved (for me) a lot of work. The powerful representation of southern social and racial hierarchies in several stories ("Dry September," "Red Leaves," "There Was a Queen," "That Evening Sun," "Mountain Victory") was difficult to confront. Among my favorites were "Two Soldiers" and "Race at Morning," which explored human experiences with remarkable sensitivity.
February 15, 2023
3 stars.
I read this collection for a Modern American Fiction course and enjoyed re-reading an old favourite, A Rose for Emily. Dry September became one of my new favourites.
I read this collection for a Modern American Fiction course and enjoyed re-reading an old favourite, A Rose for Emily. Dry September became one of my new favourites.
May 15, 2020
im to dum unnerstant Flokner werds dont mek sens
im jus a women
im jus a women
August 12, 2020
In my undergraduate days Faulkner and I did not get along. His writing is often dense, often demanding of nothing less than full attention. Some of these stories I’ve read previously 20 something years ago. They didn’t have the impact then that they do now. Are they still dense, still demanding? Yes they are. Truth be told I often found myself rereading paragraphs to understand them. What Faulkner does so well is to paint a complete picture of the characters that populate these stories. He often uses different points of view within the same story (or at least delves into the past to mine important information) and he does it all rather effortlessly. You feel like you’ve had a hearty meal, not just a tiny taste. These stories are a gateway to the past that is mostly forgotten by many at this point. They are worth reading from a sociological standpoint alone but noting the craft used to put together such complete stories in a handful of pages is worth paying attention to as well. Do they read like modern short stories? No. But then again most modern short stories lack the depth on display here. If you read only one, That Evening Sun, seems like required reading for 2020 given the current racial situation in the country.
January 4, 2012
I don't remember having read any Faulkner before - I've certainly never read one of his books, but I might have read one or two of his short stories along the way. This was interesting; interesting enough to make me want to try one of his novels. But I didn't really like his depictions of middle-aged, unmarried women. He has what seems to me a very 19th Century view of how being unmarried (and presumably, a virgin), makes a woman twisted and pathetic. Did Faulkner ever create a sympathetic, strong, intelligent woman in any of his fiction? If he has, maybe someone could point me in that direction.
July 29, 2012
The short stories in this book were much easier of a read than a lot of his novels, but some of the stories toward the end got a lot more typical in the Faulkner sense of the word where you had to go back and read a paragraph a 2nd or 3rd time to make sense of it. All the best short stories are in the first 1/2-3/4 of the book anyway. He is one of the best writers of gritty Americana, a lot of his stories deal with the worst side of people and if your like me and you love writers like Cormac McCarthy and Charles Bukowski get into him.
October 2, 2010
I'm not sure if I loved these short stories or I was just overwhelmed with joy that they made more sense than The Sound and the Fury. The stories were well written and very descriptive but I still often couldn't figure out what the point was to the stories. I think that is why I like real books better. Short stories are over so quickly and if you don't get the point they seem like a waste of time.
September 2, 2018
Maybe it's me... the first several stories were so racist as to be very difficult to get through - a time capsule of a different and disturbing time. After that the stories just seemed unfocused and while I don't doubt there was worth in them, I didn't have the urge to follow the threads and find it. Made it about half way before giving up. I thoroughly enjoyed Faulkner novels when I was in grad school - I wonder if the difference is in the material or me?
August 6, 2012
Some of these stories were amazing and mind blowing, but others weren't that interesting. I know they must have been good to get into this compilation, but I wasn't interested in all of them... maybe that's just me.
However, the first few stories were so, so good. Around the middle/end I may have lost focus or the stories just got less current/interesting, I'm not sure.
However, the first few stories were so, so good. Around the middle/end I may have lost focus or the stories just got less current/interesting, I'm not sure.
November 15, 2009
One of my favorite writers. "Barn Burning" the symbolism and actions of humanity; excellent discussion story. "Rose for Emily" has such passion and desperate romantic notions, it's a look into the depths that people will got to for affection and companionship.
February 6, 2017
Greoi şi apăsător. O cavalcadă de emoţii şi reflecţii. Ruperi de ritm, compuneri şi recompuneri derutante. Perspective diverse, toate îndreptăţite de fiecare personaj în parte. Albul, negrul, indianul, metisul; yankeul. Generalii şi soldaţii. Sudul american văzut prin ochii unui sudist bizar.
March 21, 2019
Some stories were interesting. Nothing special. The whole collection was painfully adequate
July 8, 2020
Barn Burning, the jewel of this collection, was the first story I read by Faulkner and what prompted me to read more of him. I was expecting long, loose, intricate sentences following the stream of consciousness of the protagonists, e.g.:
'...the cheese which he knew he smelled and the hermetic meat which his intestines believed he smelled coming in intermittent gusts momentary and brief between the other constant one, the smell and sense just a little of fear because mostly of despair and grief, the old fierce pull of blood.'
I was partly disappointed and partly pleased to discover that Faulkner used a wide variety of styles in his short stories. In Two Soldiers and in Race at Morning the Southern voices of young first-person narrators take center stage, e.g.:
'I never knowed I was fixing to, and I couldn't stop it. I set there by that soldier, crying. We was going fast.'
As far as its structure and macabre theme, A Rose for Emily could be a 19th century piece by Edgar Allan Poe. Then again, the point of view feels slightly innovative: in practice it's in third omniscient, but technically the city as a whole functions as a first person witness. What really makes this story stand out, though, is its humorous style. Take this passage as an example, incidentally in keeping with the gender stereotypes of the times:
'Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it.'
Another thing we might chalk up to the time period is the racism against Blacks and—especially—Native Americans. Even if Faulkner gets a pass on that count, I wouldn't read his stories about the Chickasaw again: I found Lo! only slightly funny and Red Leaves off-puttingly confusing. Turnabout was another low point in the collection for me, although maybe I'm to blame for not understanding much about war.
Back to the good stuff, Dry September alternates between the perspective of a barber trying to prevent the lynching of a Black man and the point of view of a woman who is the supposed victim being avenged. We are not privy to the thoughts of either of them, and only have access to the external world. The barber, whose reliability is taken for granted, serves the function of recording everything around him, e.g.:
"McLendon whirled on the third speaker. 'Happen? What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really does it?'"
The woman, whose mental stability we are led to question, is being captured by a lens, e.g.:
'Her hands trembled among the hooks and eyes, and her eyes had a feverish look, and her hair swirled crisp and crackling under the comb.'
To wrap up, There Was a Queen experiments with shifts of POV, has an elegant, evocative style and paints the sort of multigenerational picture that could have inspired García Marquez to write One Hundred Years of Solitude:
'Elnora entered the back yard, coming up from her cabin. In the long afternoon the huge, square house, the premises, lay somnolent, peaceful, as they had lain for almost a hundred years, since John Sartoris had come from Carolina and built it. And he had died in it and his son Bayard had died in it, and Bayard's son John and John's son Bayard in turn had been buried from it even though the last Bayard didn't die there.'
'...the cheese which he knew he smelled and the hermetic meat which his intestines believed he smelled coming in intermittent gusts momentary and brief between the other constant one, the smell and sense just a little of fear because mostly of despair and grief, the old fierce pull of blood.'
I was partly disappointed and partly pleased to discover that Faulkner used a wide variety of styles in his short stories. In Two Soldiers and in Race at Morning the Southern voices of young first-person narrators take center stage, e.g.:
'I never knowed I was fixing to, and I couldn't stop it. I set there by that soldier, crying. We was going fast.'
As far as its structure and macabre theme, A Rose for Emily could be a 19th century piece by Edgar Allan Poe. Then again, the point of view feels slightly innovative: in practice it's in third omniscient, but technically the city as a whole functions as a first person witness. What really makes this story stand out, though, is its humorous style. Take this passage as an example, incidentally in keeping with the gender stereotypes of the times:
'Only a man of Colonel Sartoris' generation and thought could have invented it, and only a woman could have believed it.'
Another thing we might chalk up to the time period is the racism against Blacks and—especially—Native Americans. Even if Faulkner gets a pass on that count, I wouldn't read his stories about the Chickasaw again: I found Lo! only slightly funny and Red Leaves off-puttingly confusing. Turnabout was another low point in the collection for me, although maybe I'm to blame for not understanding much about war.
Back to the good stuff, Dry September alternates between the perspective of a barber trying to prevent the lynching of a Black man and the point of view of a woman who is the supposed victim being avenged. We are not privy to the thoughts of either of them, and only have access to the external world. The barber, whose reliability is taken for granted, serves the function of recording everything around him, e.g.:
"McLendon whirled on the third speaker. 'Happen? What the hell difference does it make? Are you going to let the black sons get away with it until one really does it?'"
The woman, whose mental stability we are led to question, is being captured by a lens, e.g.:
'Her hands trembled among the hooks and eyes, and her eyes had a feverish look, and her hair swirled crisp and crackling under the comb.'
To wrap up, There Was a Queen experiments with shifts of POV, has an elegant, evocative style and paints the sort of multigenerational picture that could have inspired García Marquez to write One Hundred Years of Solitude:
'Elnora entered the back yard, coming up from her cabin. In the long afternoon the huge, square house, the premises, lay somnolent, peaceful, as they had lain for almost a hundred years, since John Sartoris had come from Carolina and built it. And he had died in it and his son Bayard had died in it, and Bayard's son John and John's son Bayard in turn had been buried from it even though the last Bayard didn't die there.'
December 9, 2023
Faulkner supposedly wrote hundreds of short stories, of which forty-two d are in this collection. They were assembled by Faulkner himself so it can be assumed that he considered them among his best efforts. They covers a wide swath of experiences and are arranged in six general categories: I. The Country, II. The Village, III. The Wilderness, IV. The Waste Land, V, The Middle Ground, and VI, Beyond.
These titles are evocative of Faulkner’s mood in selecting them, and only loosely tie the individual stories together. “The Country” are regional stories set in the rural south, “The Village” more focused on small town life, “The Wilderness” concentrates on historical interactions between Whites, Blacks, and Indians, “The Wasteland stories are about the devastations of WW I, “The Middle Ground” stories range from city to country, and with “Beyond” it’s hard to say what Faulkner had in mind. He might have felt these six stories he were beyond classification. That’s true of “Carcassonne”, the last story in the collection, a dream-like fantasy.
Among the stories are such well-known and often anthologized ones as “Barn Burning,” “ A Rose for Miss Emily,” and “Two Soldiers.” but they only begin to reveal the scope and depth of Faulkner’s far-reaching interests and passions. There are stories about Faulkner’s Mississippi which lead into his well known novels about Yoknapatawpha County. They begin to explore the tragic history of the post-Civil war south. Others go farther afield – there are stories about New York, World War I and its aftermath, and many that could take place anywhere. Some are about family conflicts, often wihth rebellious, sometimes misguided youth. If there’s one constant in the stories, it is that life is complex, full of ambiguity and uncertainty, especially as to outcomes. All are challenging to read and interpret.
Faulkner is always concerned about how history, any event for that matter, is narrated by an observer whose reliability is always in question. A narrator’s point-of-view has to be considered and puts the reader in the position of having to decide if who is telling the story is telling the entire truth. In “Divorce in Naples, there are at least three different witnesses of a character’s actions, not counting reader’s. Where does the truth lie?
One interviewer is said to have told Faulkner, that people said they couldn’t understand his writing, even after they read it two or three times. So what approach would he suggest for them? Faulkner replied, to read it four times. He may have been referring to his novels, but certainly many of his stories are dense with allusions and irony and repay repeated readings. A character in “Carcassonne” says, “I want to perform something bold and tragical and austere, shaping the soundless words in the pattering silence. . .” Faulkner in these stories is a master shaper of words.
These titles are evocative of Faulkner’s mood in selecting them, and only loosely tie the individual stories together. “The Country” are regional stories set in the rural south, “The Village” more focused on small town life, “The Wilderness” concentrates on historical interactions between Whites, Blacks, and Indians, “The Wasteland stories are about the devastations of WW I, “The Middle Ground” stories range from city to country, and with “Beyond” it’s hard to say what Faulkner had in mind. He might have felt these six stories he were beyond classification. That’s true of “Carcassonne”, the last story in the collection, a dream-like fantasy.
Among the stories are such well-known and often anthologized ones as “Barn Burning,” “ A Rose for Miss Emily,” and “Two Soldiers.” but they only begin to reveal the scope and depth of Faulkner’s far-reaching interests and passions. There are stories about Faulkner’s Mississippi which lead into his well known novels about Yoknapatawpha County. They begin to explore the tragic history of the post-Civil war south. Others go farther afield – there are stories about New York, World War I and its aftermath, and many that could take place anywhere. Some are about family conflicts, often wihth rebellious, sometimes misguided youth. If there’s one constant in the stories, it is that life is complex, full of ambiguity and uncertainty, especially as to outcomes. All are challenging to read and interpret.
Faulkner is always concerned about how history, any event for that matter, is narrated by an observer whose reliability is always in question. A narrator’s point-of-view has to be considered and puts the reader in the position of having to decide if who is telling the story is telling the entire truth. In “Divorce in Naples, there are at least three different witnesses of a character’s actions, not counting reader’s. Where does the truth lie?
One interviewer is said to have told Faulkner, that people said they couldn’t understand his writing, even after they read it two or three times. So what approach would he suggest for them? Faulkner replied, to read it four times. He may have been referring to his novels, but certainly many of his stories are dense with allusions and irony and repay repeated readings. A character in “Carcassonne” says, “I want to perform something bold and tragical and austere, shaping the soundless words in the pattering silence. . .” Faulkner in these stories is a master shaper of words.
November 6, 2025
I am attempting to do a Classics challenge mid year through, since I completed the British Lit course halfway through this year. So this book fulfills the category of Short Story collection and I chose Faulkner because this author has been recommended to me so many times and I have just been too intimidated to read his works.
I figured a short story collection should be a good starter and I was right. I had already read “Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” previously for class of some sort, but the other stories were new to me. Here is the list of stories in this collection:
1) Barn Burning
2) Two Soldiers
3) A Rose for Emily
4) Dry September
5) That Evening Sun
6) Red Leaves
7) Lo!
8)Turnabout
9) Honor
10) There Was a Queen
11) Mountain Victory
12) Beyond
13) Race at Morning
Possibly because I was most familiar with it, “Barn Burning” was my favorite. But right alongside that was “Mountain Victory” and “Turnabout”. “Red Leaves” was disturbing, or rather more disturbing than the others for me, and I really disliked the protag for “Honor” so I just didn’t really get into it. I liked “There was a Queen” and “Race at Morning” too. So all in all, I enjoyed most of these stories.
In case you did not know, Faulkner is dark. Maybe because he is also a Southern writer, I felt a lot of the same “anxiety” that I felt when reading Flannery O’Connor. Possibly this is because Southern writers write about people of color and when people of color pop up in stories written before 1970, very rarely are there happy endings.
What did I learn/like about Faulkner? I loved his descriptive writing, his “deadpan” manner of delivering disturbing details and protag thoughts. I loved his use of dialog, despite the heavy use of the N word (this is the South after all) and the very realistic dialectal speech. I really loved the way he depicted characters truly having trouble absorbing new information or bad news. They would say the same thing over and over, unable to move forward. I loved the intensity of the prose, how as a reader, I could sense that Faulkner did not choose words as a matter of fact. He was very specific.
So will I tackle a Faulkner novel? Of course I will at some point. But sometimes, more often than not recently, I like to read about daisies and roses and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow. Thus, I will probably not even think about it until next year.
But this was a great collection. Heavier themes and topics, no happy endings. LOL HIgh recommendation as it is excellent literature. Four stars just because not every story was fantastic. 4/5
I figured a short story collection should be a good starter and I was right. I had already read “Barn Burning” and “A Rose for Emily” previously for class of some sort, but the other stories were new to me. Here is the list of stories in this collection:
1) Barn Burning
2) Two Soldiers
3) A Rose for Emily
4) Dry September
5) That Evening Sun
6) Red Leaves
7) Lo!
8)Turnabout
9) Honor
10) There Was a Queen
11) Mountain Victory
12) Beyond
13) Race at Morning
Possibly because I was most familiar with it, “Barn Burning” was my favorite. But right alongside that was “Mountain Victory” and “Turnabout”. “Red Leaves” was disturbing, or rather more disturbing than the others for me, and I really disliked the protag for “Honor” so I just didn’t really get into it. I liked “There was a Queen” and “Race at Morning” too. So all in all, I enjoyed most of these stories.
In case you did not know, Faulkner is dark. Maybe because he is also a Southern writer, I felt a lot of the same “anxiety” that I felt when reading Flannery O’Connor. Possibly this is because Southern writers write about people of color and when people of color pop up in stories written before 1970, very rarely are there happy endings.
What did I learn/like about Faulkner? I loved his descriptive writing, his “deadpan” manner of delivering disturbing details and protag thoughts. I loved his use of dialog, despite the heavy use of the N word (this is the South after all) and the very realistic dialectal speech. I really loved the way he depicted characters truly having trouble absorbing new information or bad news. They would say the same thing over and over, unable to move forward. I loved the intensity of the prose, how as a reader, I could sense that Faulkner did not choose words as a matter of fact. He was very specific.
So will I tackle a Faulkner novel? Of course I will at some point. But sometimes, more often than not recently, I like to read about daisies and roses and pots of gold at the end of a rainbow. Thus, I will probably not even think about it until next year.
But this was a great collection. Heavier themes and topics, no happy endings. LOL HIgh recommendation as it is excellent literature. Four stars just because not every story was fantastic. 4/5
October 5, 2025
Kind of a flail on my end. But also hard to read Faulkner without the context of the day. “Race at Morning” was the best. Kind of like Old Man and the Sea.
[A boy and the man who sort of adopted him, at the end of a two-week deer hunt in which they came up empty-handed, again]
So at least one of us was glad it would be eleven months and two weeks before he would have to run that fur that fast again. So he was glad of the very same thing we was sorry of, and so all of a sudden I thought about how maybe planting and working and then harvesting oats and cotton and beans and hay wasn't jest something me and Mister Ernest done three hundred and fifty-one days to fill in the time until we could come back hunting again, but it was something we had to do, and do honest and good during the three hundred and fifty-one days, to have the right to come back into the big woods and hunt for the other fourteen; and the fourteen days that old buck run in front of dogs wasn't jest something to fill his time until the three hundred and fifty-one when he didn't have to, but the running and the risking in front of guns and dogs was something he had to do for fourteen days to have the right not to be bothered for the other three hundred and fifty-one. And so the hunting and the farming wasn't two different things atall-they was jest the other side of each other.
…
"All right, all right," Mister Ernest said. "Which would you rather have? His bloody head and hide on the kitchen floor yonder and half his meat in a pickup truck on the way to Yoknapatawpha County, or him with his head and hide and meat still together over yonder in that brake, waiting for next November for us to run him again?"
"And git him, too," I said. "We won't even fool with no Willy Legate and Walter Ewell next time."
"Maybe," Mister Ernest said.
"Yes," I said.
"Maybe," Mister Ernest said. "The best word in our language, the best of all. That's what mankind keeps going on: Maybe. The best days of his life ain't the ones when he said ‘Yes' beforehand: they're the ones when all he knew to say was Maybe. He can’t Yes' until afterward because he not only don't know it until then, he don't want to know 'Yes' until then.”
[A boy and the man who sort of adopted him, at the end of a two-week deer hunt in which they came up empty-handed, again]
So at least one of us was glad it would be eleven months and two weeks before he would have to run that fur that fast again. So he was glad of the very same thing we was sorry of, and so all of a sudden I thought about how maybe planting and working and then harvesting oats and cotton and beans and hay wasn't jest something me and Mister Ernest done three hundred and fifty-one days to fill in the time until we could come back hunting again, but it was something we had to do, and do honest and good during the three hundred and fifty-one days, to have the right to come back into the big woods and hunt for the other fourteen; and the fourteen days that old buck run in front of dogs wasn't jest something to fill his time until the three hundred and fifty-one when he didn't have to, but the running and the risking in front of guns and dogs was something he had to do for fourteen days to have the right not to be bothered for the other three hundred and fifty-one. And so the hunting and the farming wasn't two different things atall-they was jest the other side of each other.
…
"All right, all right," Mister Ernest said. "Which would you rather have? His bloody head and hide on the kitchen floor yonder and half his meat in a pickup truck on the way to Yoknapatawpha County, or him with his head and hide and meat still together over yonder in that brake, waiting for next November for us to run him again?"
"And git him, too," I said. "We won't even fool with no Willy Legate and Walter Ewell next time."
"Maybe," Mister Ernest said.
"Yes," I said.
"Maybe," Mister Ernest said. "The best word in our language, the best of all. That's what mankind keeps going on: Maybe. The best days of his life ain't the ones when he said ‘Yes' beforehand: they're the ones when all he knew to say was Maybe. He can’t Yes' until afterward because he not only don't know it until then, he don't want to know 'Yes' until then.”
Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews